POLICE have today launched a new appeal for information about an incident a year ago that left a former postman with severe brain damage.

Alex Chant, 21, had suffered serious head injuries by the time he was found at the side of a road in Newport at close to midnight on Saturday, March 27, in Newport last year

The one-time Lliswerry footballer is only able to sit up for about five minutes, eat soft food and stand for a short time with a frame – and is undergoing regular physiotherapy.

Detective Supt Geoff Ronayne has appealed to anyone who saw Mr Chant in the Sens Kebab House in Maindee Square or being picked up nearby at 11.15pm that night by a dark coloured people carrier with a sliding door.

Mr Chant was seen leaving this vehicle on the Southern Distributor Road and it then continued along the road towards the slip road to Stephenson Street.

Mr Chant was discovered 15 minutes later with serious head injuries at the side of the road near CarCraft.

He spent three months in a coma.

The young man’s father Stephen Chant said: “Although slow, Alex is making a steady recovery. Given the severity of his injuries, his progress to date has far exceeded what any of us expected. It is disappointing that we cannot get any closure on what happened that night, but I hope that this appeal helps jog somebody’s memory or triggers someone’s conscience to come forward.”